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17 gal vs 14.5 gal


gene jo

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I like Linda s's assurance. I think my tank is original and it can hold 17 gals. I get a litlle nervous when the gauge shows empty and I could only filled 12.5gas. I may drain it eventually...but for now I feel better.

Would it be a good idea to drain the tank after 26 years to get rid of whatever junk accumulated at the bottom of the tank?

The 17 gallon tank is 33 inches long but that includes the lip and that is up a ways so you probably didn't include it in the measurement. You got the right one, I'm sure

Linda S

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What year? I would say yes. When mine is on "E", I still have about 3 gallons left. ( I don't have a low warning lite) I ran it empty one time just to verify,

John Mc8

8 Dolphin 4 Auto (For Sale)

1987 Mini Cruiser

mine is past E when fuel light comes on...I first thought it was broke..

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  • 2 weeks later...

I literally ran out of gas and filled it until it spilled and i got 16.7 gallons. So there you have it aparently .75 useless galllons plus the top off means really 16 gallons so youve got a 1.5 gallon reserve.

Ive got burned twice now by this its not as huge as were saying.

And mine runs out of gas with almost no warning time which could be super dangerous

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  • 1 month later...

Wow a whole $65. :sarcasm: A few years ago I was asked to drive a family over the mountain passes so they could watch grandson play BB Their coach was a 36 ft Blue Bird. Try buying 125 gal of $4.50 a gallon diesel. Try pumping that amount through a standard fuel nozzle when its 10 degrees. :cold: There are people here who have bought a Toyota MH for less than that fillup, and it wasnt even empty.

It was nice to see how the other side of the world lives.

We also drive a BB Wanderlodge. On a recent trip from MI to CA via Nashville, we were filling every 2nd or 3rd day at $600 a pop. The tank holds 250 gallons of diesel.

It makes the Dolphin seem dirt cheap. You can buy a set of Dolphin tires for $600.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Since the post is on fuel tank. I am looking for a larger tank 26 gallons or so, does any one have info on this. Mite be taking another road trip to Alaska this summer and with the lower gas mileage on my v6 compared to the 4 that we took in 2010 would not make it to some of the fuel stations.

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Well I have only bad info as of now. As recently as last year Northwest metal was still making a 26 gallon tank for Toyota's. Just went to their site to check and they have sold that part of their business to another company who is not making that tank. My only idea would be to see if a T100 tank might fit. 25 gallons and the early ones with the V6 had the fuel filler on the same side as the Toyota motorhomes. No after market ones available though and you would have to find one in a junk yard

Linda S

The new company does say they might be able to make other tanks than listed. You would have to call and find out

http://www.sunsetmetalfab.net/page008.html

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Thanks Linda. Think I'll go t a wrecking yard with the tape measure.

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  • 5 weeks later...

Good info here. Last night I was down to what I thought were fumes. I was right on the E line. Gingerly coasted in to a service station that was fortunately open late. I was shocked when my 21 foot Dolphin topped out at 14.22 gallons. I told the attendant that it couldn't be right, but he was unable to add any more fuel. Sounds like we have a 3 gallon buffer. Nice to know, but I don't want to experience that anxiety again.

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For a spare gas can, you might want to look at Koplin Fuel cells, they are made for ATVs and come in sizes between 1.5 gallons to 5 gallons. Very strong (they mount on ATVs).

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  • 1 year later...

We just ran out of gas yesterday in our 1987 Escaper. Got roadside service to bring us 2 gal., then drove 5 miles to a gas station, and topped it up w/ 13.2 gallons. So, assuming we used 1/3 of a gallon getting the engine started and getting to the gas station, we can fit about 14.9 gallons in our tank. So my guess would be that we either have the 14.5 gal. tank or we have a 17 gal tank of which only 14.5 gallons are usable. Either way, I'd like to get a bit more range without having to carry jerry jugs. Has anyone found a source for a larger or an auxiliary tank, yet?

Edited by mustrmrk
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We just ran out of gas yesterday in our 1987 Escaper. Got roadside service to bring us 2 gal., then drove 5 miles to a gas station, and topped it up w/ 13.2 gallons. So, assuming we used 1/3 of a gallon getting the engine started and getting to the gas station, we can fit about 14.9 gallons in our tank. So my guess would be that we either have the 14.5 gal. tank or we have a 17 gal tank of which only 14.5 gallons are usable. Either way, I'd like to get a bit more range without having to carry jerry jugs. Has anyone found a source for a larger or an auxiliary tank, yet?

The Toyota cab and chassis with dual wheels was only available with one size fuel tank from at least 1986 and up and that's the 17.2 gallon one. It is possible your original one was punctured and replaced with the smaller one. probably just full of gunk though and sputtered out cause it was sucking it up. I've never gotten more than about 14.5 gallons in mine but I never let it get so low that I will clog stuff with the gunk I know is there

Linda s

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  • 1 month later...

I just looked at the Escaper spec sheet and it does, indeed, list a 17.2 gallon tank as standard. Guess I need to check into this a bit further.

At any rate, however, we've come too close to running out several times and I'm just not comfortable with the limited range we currently have. Our Escaper has a big void under the stern - I assume it's where the spare went originally, but now it's external above the rear bumper. I wonder if anyone has added an extra tank up under there?

We're hoping to get up to Alaska next year and maybe head down to South America one of these days, too. Any additional range we can add would be a big plus. Having lived w/ jerry cans full of diesel on the deck of my sailboat for years, I'd like to have a better solution than jugs of gasoline on the rear bumper.

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The tank in my Nissan is the same shape as my Toyota but bigger. 21 gallons. don't know if the pump will fit properly though. The 21 gallon tank is only found on the king cab 4x4 and 1 ton in early years and then on a regular cab long bed through 93 I think. D21 so starting in 1986 1/2.

I also think a T100 tank might fit. 25 gallons.

Linda S

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  • 2 weeks later...

Supposedly we do have one but I have never been brave enough to run it that low. My tank has never been flushed and there's probably a lot of gunk in there. I'd hate to clog my fuel pump just to find out. The E mark on the gas gauge is over 3 gallons away from really empty so it must come on somewhere down there in the twilight zone.

Linda S

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